Attention, frequent flyers: You won't believe the big change Qantas made after customer backlash
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Navigating airline loyalty programs can often feel like trying to find your way through a thick fog—confusing, frustrating, and sometimes downright disheartening.
But for the frequent flyers among us, especially those who have felt the sting of trying to redeem their hard-earned points, there's a significant update that's set to clear the air.
Qantas unveiled a major overhaul to its Frequent Flyer program, and it's all thanks to the feedback from its customers.
For months, Qantas has received customer criticism over the scarcity of reward seat availability.
It's a common gripe among loyalty program members across various airlines—accruing points feels rewarding, but the redemption process can often be less than satisfying.
In response, Qantas has taken a bold step to revamp its program, promising more seats available for redemption starting next month.
According to Steve Hui from the online flights site Points Guy, 'There will be more seats available—they will be more expensive than the classic rewards, but cheaper than the points and pay.'
Qantas isn't just making empty promises. The airline has stated that there are currently 5 million seats bookable using points across its partner airlines.
To put this into perspective, Virgin has said that points for seats are available on 80 per cent of its flights.
Frequent traveller and mum-of-two Olivia White shared that she used her points to travel with her family to destinations like Japan, Singapore, and Perth.
'It's really about being on the ball and going in and checking,' she stated.
'Rewards seats are actually released all the time. In the last year, I would have saved tens of thousands of dollars,’ she added.
Flight experts are now advising that the days of needing to book a year in advance to secure good seats with points are over. Some reward seats are being released just weeks before the flight.
However, they cautioned that flexibility is vital. The more open you are to different dates and destinations, the more likely you will find a reward seat that suits your needs.
In addition, it was reported that the airline is also launching a new tier to its Frequent Flyer Program.
This new scheme, rumoured to be launched in April, will allow members to convert their Frequent Flyer points to cash when booking an economy seat at a rate of one point for one cent.
A Qantas spokesperson confirmed its introduction, rumored to be called Classic+. This will be offered alongside the two existing programs, which will remain unchanged.
‘We're still working to finalise the frequent flyer improvements, which are responding to what members are telling us about the importance of redeeming points for flights at the times they most want to fly,’ the spokesperson said.
What do you think of these changes, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
But for the frequent flyers among us, especially those who have felt the sting of trying to redeem their hard-earned points, there's a significant update that's set to clear the air.
Qantas unveiled a major overhaul to its Frequent Flyer program, and it's all thanks to the feedback from its customers.
For months, Qantas has received customer criticism over the scarcity of reward seat availability.
It's a common gripe among loyalty program members across various airlines—accruing points feels rewarding, but the redemption process can often be less than satisfying.
Qantas made changes to its Frequent Flyer Program. Image source: Unsplash
In response, Qantas has taken a bold step to revamp its program, promising more seats available for redemption starting next month.
According to Steve Hui from the online flights site Points Guy, 'There will be more seats available—they will be more expensive than the classic rewards, but cheaper than the points and pay.'
Qantas isn't just making empty promises. The airline has stated that there are currently 5 million seats bookable using points across its partner airlines.
To put this into perspective, Virgin has said that points for seats are available on 80 per cent of its flights.
Frequent traveller and mum-of-two Olivia White shared that she used her points to travel with her family to destinations like Japan, Singapore, and Perth.
'It's really about being on the ball and going in and checking,' she stated.
'Rewards seats are actually released all the time. In the last year, I would have saved tens of thousands of dollars,’ she added.
Flight experts are now advising that the days of needing to book a year in advance to secure good seats with points are over. Some reward seats are being released just weeks before the flight.
However, they cautioned that flexibility is vital. The more open you are to different dates and destinations, the more likely you will find a reward seat that suits your needs.
In addition, it was reported that the airline is also launching a new tier to its Frequent Flyer Program.
This new scheme, rumoured to be launched in April, will allow members to convert their Frequent Flyer points to cash when booking an economy seat at a rate of one point for one cent.
A Qantas spokesperson confirmed its introduction, rumored to be called Classic+. This will be offered alongside the two existing programs, which will remain unchanged.
‘We're still working to finalise the frequent flyer improvements, which are responding to what members are telling us about the importance of redeeming points for flights at the times they most want to fly,’ the spokesperson said.
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